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Securing cities: 'Urban resilience' as a technology of government
Svitková, Katarína ; Hynek, Nikola (advisor) ; Hájek, Martin (referee) ; Chandler, David (referee)
Svitková, K. 2019. Securing cities: 'Urban resilience' as a technology of government, 282 pp. Doctoral thesis (PhD) Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Studies. Department of Security Studies. Academic supervisor: doc. PhDr. PNDr. Nikola Hynek, M. A., PgDip Res, PhD Abstract Resilience has become a buzzword in policy and practice of 'securing' and 'developing' cities and urban populations. This study discusses the use of this concept in the context of governance of subjectivities. More specifically, reflecting its empirical focus, it poses critical questions about constructing and promoting 'urban resilience subjects', and scrutinizes the process of internalization of resilience as a self-governance technique, self-imposed on and by citizens for their own good. The purpose is to problematize resilience as a universal tool or strategy to govern cities and their inhabitants, be it in ordinary or extreme circumstances. The study ventures beyond the traditional critique of neoliberalism to ask questions about what resilience does in terms of a performative governance, exploring the disciplinary and biopolitical nature of this process. Keywords resilience, governmentality, urban, cities, power, biopolitics
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Agent-Based Modelling and Its Use in Sociology
Kudrnáčová, Michaela ; Soukup, Petr (advisor) ; Hájek, Martin (referee)
Master thesis elaborates on agent-based modelling (ABM, computer simulation method) founded on the concept of analytical sociology and its use in empirical sociology. The use is demonstrated by creation of a model based on the principal of environmental sociology studying the influence of social factors on the environment. Thesis works with the empirical- theoretical concept New ecological paradigm (NEP) measuring the values and opinions on the environment. The origin of the paper was motivated by the absence of the projects combining the method of empirically calibrated agent-based modelling and sociological grounds, particularly in the Czech context, but also abroad. Based on the environmental module of Czech data ISSP 2010 and research question "How parameters of social network influence the willingness to sort waste?" model was created and analyzed. Relationship between both types of agents (sorting and not sorting waste during the whole simulation) and their neighbourhood was found. The higher the number of neighbours, the more agents with this particular type of behaviour. The likelihood of bond creation with long-distance agent at the expence of bond abolition with close neighbour was without any influence on the number of non/sorting agents. It seems the agents tend to replicate behaviour...
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Digitalization of the Body. how new technologies of self-tracking change Czech students' perception of health and well-being
Kudaieva, Yuliia ; Hrešanová, Ema (advisor) ; Hájek, Martin (referee)
The topic of the work is an impact of digital self-tracking technologies such as wearable fitness trackers and smartphone self-tracking applications on an individual. I used the methodology of semi-structured interviews, conducted with students engaged in self-tracking and comparative discourse analysis, when data received from the interviews were compared with healthy lifestyle discourse, partly manifested in the Czech internet media portals. The research question of "How self-trackers perceive the impact of the technology of self-tracking on their physical activities and lifestyle, respectively differentiated among themselves in terms of impact and usage of self-tracking technology, and to what extent they perceive it similarly to the way self- tracking is presented in Czech internet media portals?" was answered in the following way: the participants were categorized as 'engaged' and 'sportspeople' users, and their relation to discourse was not complete, although they were using the conceptualization of a healthy lifestyle proposed by media. In addition, the work proposes a theoretical overview of the issue of self-tracking and discusses the possibilities for future research.
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Digitalization of the Body. how new technologies of self-tracking change Czech students' perception of health and well-being
Kudaieva, Yuliia ; Hrešanová, Ema (advisor) ; Hájek, Martin (referee)
Topic of work is an impact of digital self-tracking technologies such as wearable fitness trackers and smartphone self-tracking applications on individual. With using the methodology of semi- structured interviews, conducted with students who are engaged in self-tracking and comparative discourse analysis, when data received from interviews were compared with healthy lifestyle discourse, manifested in Czech internet media portals, research question of "How self-trackers perceive the impact of the technology of self-tracking on their physical activities and lifestyle, respectively differentiated among themselves in terms of impact and usage of self-tracking technology, and to what extent they perceive it similarly to the way self- tracking is presented in Czech internet media portals?" was answered in a following way: respondents were categorized as 'engaged' and 'sportsmen' users, and their relation to discourse was not complete, although they were using a proposed by media conceptualization of healthy lifestyle. In addition, paper proposes a theoretical overview over a problem of self- tracking and discusses the possibilities for future research.
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Discursive construction and materiality of debt in context of housing
Samec, Tomáš ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Szaló, Csaba (referee) ; Pospěch, Pavel (referee)
Housing debts have become fuel for the global economy, having been turned into tradable commodities on the financial markets. However, housing debts also have a profound relevance in the everyday life of those who have become indebted, enabling the dream of homeownership, but also leading to foreclosures and evictions. This thesis aims to take a rather under-researched perspective on formal and informal housing debts (i.e., mortgages and familial loans) by exploring the role of public and domestic discourses in, what is termed, the financialisation of housing. The financialisation of housing refers to the process of real estate being turned into assets and commodities and to the spread of individualised financial products being used to secure housing. The thesis uses the Czech Republic as a case through which to examine how discourse may enable this transition and how contribute to a specific financial governmentality. The thesis raises questions: How is it possible that mortgages come to be perceived as a normal and natural solution to housing issues? How do they become part of the debtors' lives through certain discourses? These questions are explored through an innovative framework of layered performativity, encompassing rhetoric, sociotechnical devices, and references to practices that reveal three main...
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Analysis of Gender Unconventional Characters in Japanese Anime and Manga
Pleskačová, Valérie ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Oravcová, Anna (referee)
In this thesis, I analyse gender unconventional characters of Japanese manga and anime. The topic is based on my long-lasting interest in this type of pop culture. Manga and anime, on which I build my research, were written in late 90' by Masashi Kishimoto and become the most popular manga of millennium. I use qualitative method through analysing documents, which are written parts of manga and video records of series Naruto/Naruto Shippuuden. I choose fifteen characters based on their gender roles and identities from these series. Next, I analyse every single character by constructing system of categories, based on which I connect categories to attributes of masculinity and femininity. To anchor my research, I use thesis and works, which are focused on gender in manga and anime and gender stereotypes applied in west cultures, which are written for example by Ann Oakley, Sandra Bem or Deborah Cameron. Object of research is to find out, if there are any regularities in making gender of each character, or if it is just a chaos, which has no measurable background. The conclusion of the thesis will be devoted to the limits of work and to future research of manga and anime.
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"Train your brain!": An Analysis of Game-based Approaches to Qualitative Research in Social Sciences
Cuker, Ivan ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Kabele, Jiří (referee)
There are a few examples of the application of game-based qualitative research methods. Therefore, we lack an analysis of the nature of data that such methods would produce. So, the goal of my diploma thesis is to find out in what ways the data obtained using game-based research methods represent the ways in which people actually perceive and experience social reality. For this purpose, I analyze seven group discussions carried out with the use of a research memory game in which players match cards with financial terms written on them with possible definitions of these terms. I have designed an analytical framework using Alfred Schutz's theory of relevance, Erving Goffman's theory of the presentation of self and Pierre Bourdieu's conception of knowledge. With the aid of these theories I managed to reach several findings which might be fruitful for a future usage of this research instrument. The participants of a game-based research might hide behind their player's roles and thus be able to interpret even sensitive topics such as the financial literacy. The game environment of the memory game research allowed the players to introduce new topics and interpretations into the group discussion despite the fact that such topics might be irrelevant to the research goal. Such cases are rather marginal...
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A case study on the methodological measurability of integrational project's success
Walser, Michael ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Čada, Karel (referee)
ii Abstract The topic of his thesis, "Social Sustainability", arising from the social sciences, specifically sociology, has naturally its core focus on society and its functioning. To be more exact, the functioning of society in context of integration, which is an ever more growing topic in the globalised world we live in. In relation to this thesis, an integrational project/workshop has been carried out at a folk high school, Brandbjerg, in Denmark, with the purpose to practically test, the methodological measurability of change in subjectivity. Worth mentioning, that the hosting community, in terms of immigration, was in focus and its perception on variation of habitus. Hereto, Q-Methodology from William Stephenson functioned as the foundation for the development of the workshop, as well as it aided the analysis of the therefrom taken data, to determine a change in the participants subjectivity. The aim of this practical implementation, was to put the findings into perspective of the theoretical framework of sustainability, specifically social sustainability. The findings served in combination with face to face interaction as part of social integration, to underline the need for sustainable integration and an alteration of social sustainability upon further research. A tendency was determined as being the...
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Intersubjectivity of economic knowledge: Ukraine and Czechia
Kolomoiets, Maksym ; Hájek, Martin (advisor) ; Blokker, Paulus Albertus (referee)
Topic of work is an intersubjectivity of economic knowledge. Work is descriving the process, how is intersubjective economic knowledge may be manifested and legitimized in speech by lay individuals. In general, knowledge is presented as created, redacted and legitimized during the process of speech as an ongoing activity, intersubjective symbols are used as tools to proclaim itself. In the theoretical part, broad overview of sociological theories of knowledge are presented, and the research question was conceptualized by the terms of constructivist approach of Berger and Luckmann. Lay knowledge was manifested as mix of referring four modes of reasoning: economical rationality, societal rationality, habitual and doxic knowledge, discourses. Overemphasizing one of the mods leads to reducing the legitimity of manifestation, the process of balancing between modes is described. In addition, paper proposes suggestion of differences in intersubjective knowledge between Ukraine and Czechs, and discusses the possibilities of further research.
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The Channel of Influence? YouTube Advertising and the Hipster Phenomenon
Horáková, Zuzana ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Hájek, Martin (referee)
This research seeks to address the topic of the influence of the YouTube advertising on society as seen by the members of hipster subculture. This work aims to explore the attitude of hipsters towards the YouTube thanks to an analysis of the interviews and also with the help of a theoretical framework of core concepts such as subculture, hipster, lifestyle or advertising practices. The reason I address hipster attitudes is the fact, that hipster phenomenon has become widespread nowadays. Moreover, those individuals are associated with skeptical stance towards the mainstream trends. Therefore, I have decided to confront the ostensibly distrustful view of hipsters towards YouTube as a representative of modern mainstream and then analyze self-proclaimed attitudes of hipsters as such.
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